Check this page periodically to learn about the Presentations scheduled for the Spring meeting.

Please Note: This is a only a listing of the presentations and
UNLESS NOTED, DOES NOT IMPLY THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WILL BE PRESENTED.

  • Opening Session
  • Mini-Expo Vendors
    • American Wire Group American Wire Group (AWG) is a leading material supplier, and holds the nation’s largest inventory, of wire, cables and accessories solutions for the power transmission, distribution, substation, solar, wind, battery energy storage and EV infrastructure markets.  Our team supports customers with full services including cable management, cable engineering and design, supply chain, emergency services and more.  For more information about AWG, please visit www.buyawg.com
    • Brugg Cables
    • Burns & McDonnell. Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 10,000 engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects, and more to design and build our critical infrastructure.  Founded in 1898 and working from more than 60 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.  As the North American representative to the CIGRE cable group dedicated to establishing cable testing and commissioning standards, and as active members of the IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee (ICC) working groups, we’re not just familiar with the latest standards — we’re working to establish them. We have invested in industry leading professionals in Underground & Submarine Cables and are working to drive impactful innovation in cable system implementation.
    • Cable Technology Laboratories is an ISO 17025 accredited independent Laboratory specializing in testing  of extruded, laminated, paper, and mineral insulated cables and their accessories in all voltage classes and designs. Our customer base spans through all segments of the industry, including research institutions, compound manufacturers, cable and accessory producers, contractors, Utilities, industrial users, etc.  Our scope of activities comprises R&D projects, qualification, type, and compliance tests, complaint investigations, forensic and failure analysis, evaluation of new test methods and techniques, etc.  We develop and support quality assurance programs tailored to our customers, including audit of manufacturing plants, witnessing of production tests, laboratory testing of representative samples, and so on.
      The tests are performed per AEIC, ICEA, ASTM, UL and other US standards, as well as per international (IEC) and foreign normative documents (Mexican, Canadian, Brazilian, and others).
      It has been our privilege in servicing the industry for the last 40 years
    • Doble Engineering offers solutions for cable testing and monitoring that will help you identify manufacturing defects or insulation deterioration. These solutions can be combined with the support of our global engineering team and enhanced by the educational opportunities we offer throughout the year. https://www.doble.com/solutions/cables/
    • EJ is the leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of access solutions for underground water, sewer, drainage, telecommunications and utility networks worldwide. Products include construction castings, gratings, fabricated metal and composite products.  Featured products are explosion mitigation/latched covers for directed release of pressure and easy/ergonomic installation and removal. A world class R&D department stands ready to assist you for custom applications. Learn more at http://www.ejco.com/
    • Elecnor Hawkeye is a respected leader in construction services.  Our Underground Transmission group specializes in the installation, repair and maintenance of UG high voltage cable,  including XLPE and HPFF. With state-of-the-art equipment, including cable pull winches up to 80k HPFF, Elecnor Hawkeye can handle any size job, in any location. The leadership team of the UG group has decades of experience and understands the importance of working safe and delivering quality workmanship to its customers. For further information visit their web site at elecnorhawkeye.com
    • G&W Electric Company – Since 1905, G&W Electric Co. has been a leader worldwide in providing customs power solutions to the Electric power industry. G&W manufactures medium/high voltage electrical products and distribution automation services. Our product offerings include cable terminations, cable joints, load and fault interrupting switchgear, automatic circuit reclosers, SCADA and distribution automation products and high current limiting system protection devices. We help our customers meet their challenges and gain a competitive edge through a suite of advanced products and technical services.  Stop by our expo to see the PYTHON cable accessories featuring the mechanical shrink installation method. For more information on G&W visit www.gwelec.com.
    • HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc. (HVT), has many years of experience and dedication in serving the testing equipment needs for the power utility, power apparatus, and electronic equipment industries. Come by our booth to see how our range of high voltage VLF, VLF tan delta, and VLF partial discharge testing systems can assist you with your cable system performance optimization. We also carry a comprehensive portfolio of Cable Fault Location Systems, TDR, Cable Identification and Location, and AC/DC Hipot instruments. For those interested in Insulating Fluids Testing we have Dielectric and Dissipation Factor Instruments that are designed for lab and field use. HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc., located in Manassas, Virginia, is a leading supplier of High Voltage and EMC Test Equipment and solutions.  www.hvtechnologies.com
    • ILJIN Electric USA, Inc Located in Houston, TX is a Korea-based power cable system manufacturer. We specialize in Extra High Voltage underground XLPE power cable system up to 400kV and deliver our solution to the US and international utilities. We also provide integrated service from engineering to construction as a general contractor. We strive to provide our every customer with best cable service and solution. Please visit our website at ilijnelectric.co.kr for more information.
    • Kinectrics
    • Lovink Enertect B.V.
    • LS Cable & System, headquartered in Anyang, South Korea was established in May 1962 and is a worldwide leader in high voltage, extra high voltage underground cables and Submarine Cable and has subsidiary companies throughout the world including 15 factories, 30 sales offices, and 3 R&D centers in 17 different countries. In 2006 LS Cable & System completed its first ever 345kV Turnkey Project in the U.S. and acquired Superior Essex in 2007 to expand its presence in the Americas. In April 2017, the LS Group acquired the Energy division from Superior Essex to create a subsidiary under the LS Cable & System umbrella. LS Cable & System U.S.A., Inc. is a leading U.S. manufacturer and supplier of energy wire and cable products serving the Commercial, Industrial, Renewable Energy and Utility markets. Our electrical product offering includes Low Voltage 300V and 600V instrumentation cables for control systems, audio, intercoms, energy management, and alarm controls; Low Voltage 600V control, power and VFD cables for your industrial or utility power or station control circuits; Medium Voltage 5kV through 46kV power cables for your primary power and distribution circuits and Photovoltaic Wire XLPE, Type PV, 600V and 2000V for the renewable solar market, all in full compliance to U.S. industry standards. lscsusa.com
    • LUNA Innovations
    • NKT
    • PFISTERER is a leading independent manufacturer of cable and overhead line accessories for sensitive interfaces in energy networks.  The Group is headquartered in Winterbach, near Stuttgart in southern Germany.  PFISTERER develops, produces and sells international successful solutions for 110 V to 850 kV voltage levels.  With its end-to-end range of products for application in energy networks, consulting, installation and training, the manufacturer is a valued partner to companies specializing in power supply, plant construction and electrified rail transport around the world.  PFISTERER operates production plants in Europe, South America and South Africa as well as sales offices in 18 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the USA
    • Polywater. Visit us for solutions on mitigating manhole explosions. New wall sleeves and sleeve seals for vaults, manholes, and building entrances. Mechanical and chemical conduit seals stop gases, water, and rodents from causing outages. High performance cable pulling lubricants specifically formulated for underground transmission and distribution cable installations. Pull Planner 4.0 cable installation software computes ending tension, sidewall pressure and percentage of jamming that can occur on cable pulls. Precision cleaners for cable prep and terminations. Adhesives for joining HDPE and fiberglass conduits to PVC and rigid steel
    • Prysmian Cables & Systems Prysmian Cables and Systems is the world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry. The High Voltage Cables and Systems Group is headquartered in Lexington, SC with an EHV cable production facility in Abbeville, SC and construction offices located around the US and Canada. Employing a dedicated North American based team of engineers, installation technicians and testing specialists, Prysmian is a market leader providing vertically integrated turkey project solutions for the Utility, Renewable, and Petrochemical Industries.
    • Richards Manufacturing is located in Irvington, NJ.  Richards manufactures network protectors, connectors – compression, bolted, clamp style for both underground and overhead applications, and medium voltage cable accessories.  In recent years they have introduced medium voltage (15-35kV) cold shrink in-line splice kits with integrated capacitive test points and shear bolt connectors, cold shrink 600/900A hammerheads (deadbreak elbows), cold shrink disconnectable joint systems, and integrated elbow solutions.  These solutions can offer improved reliability, easier ergonomic installation, fewer components to assemble, fewer parts to inventory, and rugged long term performance.  Richards Manufacturing has been in business for more than 70 years.
    • Sargent and Lundy
    • Smart Grid Solutions manufactures underground and overhead faulted circuit indicators.  SGS is headquartered in Austin TX and has its manufacturing based in Dallas TX.  The design of SGS fault indicators focuses on field personnel and emphasizes reliability, durability and ease of use. 
    • Sumitomo Electric USA Inc.– subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries who owns J-Power Systems Corporation, is the Japanese leading manufacturing company of extra high voltage power cables and accessories. We are the leaders of the latest advance power transmission technology such as HVDC cable up to 500kV, HVAC underground/submarine cable up to 500kV,  and various advanced challenging installation technology such as XLPE cable installed in long distance HDD.
    • Taihan Electric USA Ltd., is the U.S. subsidiary of Taihan Electric Wire Co., Ltd, the first cable manufacturer in South Korea and one of the leading cable manufacturers in the world.  We manufacture various cables ranging from Low Voltage to Extra High Voltage and Accessories.  Taihan Electric also provides EHV engineering solutions and installation services.  We will be showcasing various cable samples including our 500 kV XLPE Underground Cable. For more information please contact us at 562-946-8500 or visit us at www.taihan.com/en/
    • TE Connectivity
    • Tibio Sagl
    • Tierra Group
    • UL is a global independent safety science company with more than a century of expertise innovating safety solutions. UL certifies, validates, tests, verifies, inspects, audits, advises and educates. We provide the knowledge and expertise to help navigate growing complexities across the supply chain from compliance and regulatory issues to trade challenges and market access. UL works with a diverse array of stakeholders. We optimize the supply chain for manufacturers and provide them a broad range of services that support every stage of the product life cycle. Visit UL.com/PowerCableSystem to learn more.
    • Underground Solutions – Provides Fusible PVC conduit and casing for trenchless installation of underground transmission lines. These products significantly reduce power ampacity loss compared to steel and provide additional benefits over other thermoplastics. Benefits include high tensile strength for longer directional drill crossings, superior buckling pressure capacity, excellent thermal resistivity, low coefficient of friction and simplicity of reconnection with standard PVC conduit. For more information, stop by our booth and visit our website at: http://www.aegion.com/about/our-brands/underground-solution
    • USi is an innovative, manufacturing and technical service company with over 40 years experience in technology development resulting in a wide range of products and custom solutions for underground transmission cable systems. Engineering Services span architect engineer design, forensics, soil thermal properties and ratings. USi pioneered and supplies real time rating, diagnostic and control hardware, sensors, communications and software for UG transmission cable systems. .We are a leading supplier of a complete range of standard and custom proprietary accessories for paper insulated and LPP laminar dielectric cables including joints, terminations and pressure maintenance and cooling equipment for Pipe Type and Self-Contained Fluid-Filled (SCFF/LPOF) cable systems to 345kV. Through our hvGrid-tech subsidiary we supply a full range of sheath bonding system components and cable clamps for solid dielectric (XLPE/ EPR) and SCFF/LPOF cable systems. Our mission is to be the partner of choice for the world’s electrical utilities providing innovative products and solutions for underground T&D operation, life extension, asset monitoring and condition assessment.
    • W.A. Chester, L.L.C.is the industry-leading electrical contractor for the installation, maintenance and repair of underground high voltage pipe-type and solid dielectric cable transmission and distribution systems. Founded in the 1930’s, our clients include electric utility companies and independent power producers in the United States and Canada and we are one of three specialty contractors performing this type of work on a national basis. In addition to underground systems, W.A. Chester, L.L.C. has expanded its services to include installation, maintenance and repair of overhead electric distribution cable systems. For more information, please visit our website at www.wachester.com.
    • Walker US, Inc. A Utility Solutions Company. Walker US is an industry leading engineering and construction firm providing turnkey solutions for electric utilities and power producers. Our products and services focus on the design, manufacture, installation, maintenance and repair of underground transmission cable systems including pressurizing, circulating and cooling plants. Additionally, Walker offers custom communication and connectivity solutions for electric utilities’ critical infrastructure. Family owned and operated since 1970, Walker is proud to be a Woman Owned Small Business and WBE certificate holder. Please visit our website at walker-us.com to learn more about our team and capabilities.
    • Wire Pulse, Inc
  • Subcommittee A – Cable Construction and Design, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
    • 2:00-2:15 PM Chairman’s Opening Remarks and Announcements
    • 2:15-2:45 PM “Voids in Cables – some simple points to remember when gas discharge occurs” by Dr. Jim Guo, UL Solutions
      • This presentation does not consider detection, location, or characteristics of partial discharge; it focuses on the basic principles of the gas discharge within a void in a power cable. It starts with the simulation and the calculation of the electric field in the void and the field distortion in the cable insulation, which investigates how the physical parameters of a void and cable construction affect the gas discharge within the cavity. The discharge magnitude is estimated as a function of void shape, orientation, size, position, gas pressure, as well as cable conductor size and insulation thickness.  The gas discharge inception time is also described in terms of void size and test voltage. This work establishes a basic framework to understand the reaction of void-type defects to the applied electric field with various cable constructions.
    • 2:45-3:15 PM “Cable Acceptance” by Dean Guerra, Oncor Electric
      • Oncor Electric has engaged in an incoming cable acceptance program for 34 years.  The presentation will begin by providing a brief history regarding Oncor’s experience with cable acceptance.  The process for cable acceptance including a discussion of the different types of tests performed and how the data is recorded and stored for the future will comprise the body of the presentation.  The final part of the presentation will discuss key findings and some of the solutions implemented by the cable manufacturers.   
    • 3:15-3:30 PM BREAK
    • 3:30-4:00 PM “Laser Printable Materials for Wire & Cable Applications: A Technology Overview” by Paul Brigandi, Stacey Saba, Mohamed Esseghir, Yixuan Song, Dow
      • Laser printing technology is increasingly being used for marking and identifying cables, particularly in the context of evolving communication infrastructure with potential application to power cable systems. The process involves using a laser beam to etch text, symbols, or barcodes onto the outer layer of a cable jacket, creating a permanent and highly durable mark. This method of labeling offers numerous advantages over traditional methods such as inkjet, including resistance to smudging, fading, and abrasion, and the ability to print high-quality graphics and fonts. However, conventional carbon black UV stabilized jacket compounds are not inherently laser printable.
    • This presentation provides an overview of materials technologies for enabling laser printing on Wire & Cable jacket compounds. The effect of laser marking additives, resin selection, and laser printing speed on laser mark contrast were studied on selected compositions. The advantages of a laser printable formulation are demonstrated, including abrasion resistance and UV performance, while meeting the other material needs of a jacket compound. 
    • 4:00 – 4:30 PM “Commissioning Test Best Practices to Ensure 21st Century Cable System Reliability & Longevity” by Sherif Kamel, Southwire, Landry Molimbi, Prysmian and Ben Lanz, IMCORP
      • Underground cable systems offer a long-term capital solution to resiliency and can operate reliably for decades longer than 40 years if they are installed correctly and operated within their design capabilities. The vast majority of cable system failures have a origin associated with installation errors.  As utility strategic undergrounding programs grow from multi-million to multi-billion-dollar capital investments the qualified workforce is being strained. How do we maintain at least minimum performance standards while lowering costs through economies of scale and eliminate the risk of long duration
        outages?  What is the industry best practice to ensure sensitive insulation systems are installed correctly?  The authors present a brief overview of factory quality tests, the implications for proper handling and installation, field data gathered over the last two decades, and then propose how cable manufacturers’ standards can be updated to include an effective field commissioning test specification.
    • 5:00 PM Adjourn
  • Subcommittee B – Accessories, Monday, May 1, 2023, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
    • 2:00 – 2:15 PM: Chairman’s opening remarks and announcements
    • 2:15 – 2:45 PM: “High Voltage Cable Repair Kit, a fast and innovative solution”, Alejandro Escobin (Pfisterer, Germany)
      • The rapid expansion of HV power networks leads to an increasing number of cables and accessories installed by different manufacturers. The administration of spare material and the engineering challenges in the event of a power failure are very costly and complex. Especially after the failure happens, problems with compatibility between the accessories and the spare cable are frequent. Normally, a customized solution is necessary to adapt the accessories to the specific requirements of the failed system which is time consuming and expensive. In this presentation, a very innovative universal cable repair solution will be presented. A modular repair kit and a predefined repair plan is the key to overcome problems independently of any manufacturer and/or cable design. The solution consists of a specific grouping of subcomponents placed into special durable boxes. In case of emergency, the subcomponents are assembled to a high voltage connector following a predefined installation plan. The use of a pluggable epoxy joint allows the connection of any type of cable to restore the power in the line in a fast and reliable way.’
    • 2:45 – 3:15 PM: “Changes in NFPA 70, US National Electrical Code and their impact on MV Cable accessories”, Paul Knapp (UL, USA)
      • The 2023 Edition of the US National Electrical Code (NEC) was published in late 2022. This new edition includes major changes in article 315 that will have an effect on the manufacturers, users and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ’s), that install, use or inspect medium voltage cable system installations. The changes to article 315 for medium voltage cables now include medium voltage cables, joints and terminations including separable connectors, the article previously only dealt with MV cables.  The article will now require medium voltage cable systems beginning in 2026 to use listed accessories in these systems, and self-declaration will no longer be accepted by jurisdictions that will adopt the 2023 version of the NEC. This change is to correct a previous error that required cable to be listed but was not clear on whether or not accessories needed to be. The presentation will provide information on this significant change and what this means for the MV Cable users and manufacturers where the US NEC applies which includes almost all installations outside of Utility use.
    • 3:15 – 3:30 PM: Break
    • 3:30 – 4:00 PM: “Endurance of MV Joints under Laboratory Wet Ageing Environments”, Thomas Parker, JC Hernandez-Mejia, Caryn Riley, (NEETRAC, USA), and Nigel Hampton (UL Solutions, USA) .
      • The performance of underground distribution systems is based upon the initial performance of the accessories and cables from which they are constructed and the way in which they degrade when deployed. The paper will present results of five joint designs. The joints used the connectors provided in the kits by the manufacturer and were assembled according to the included instructions. Their performances were evaluated using test methodologies using modified multifactor (temperature cycling, elevated voltage, presence of external water) ageing protocols for MV cable core qualification standards that are most used in North America. The evaluation of the samples at the different aging stages is accomplished by performing High Voltage Time Test (HVTT) breakdown. Breakdown probability models are stablished for each design of joint. Comparisons between joint design performances are established and also correlated with previously known breakdown cable performance, this provides means for estimation of the compounded breakdown performance considering both joint and cable.
    • 4:00 – 4:30 PM: “Application of non-SF6 gases or gas mixtures in cable compartments of GIS and their consequences to the related high voltage cable accessories”, Rudy Bukovnik, Alexander Eigner, (TE Connectivity, USA, Germany)
      • Today alternative gases for the replacement of SF6 are gaining traction since SF6 is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases known till today. Consequently, the gas insulated switchgear (GIS) manufacturers have been developing and starting to use different alternating gases for replacing the SF6 gas. Those alternatives do have some consequences on the related components as they have different physical and chemical properties. One component which is affected by this change are the cable compartments of a GIS which represents the interface from the high-voltage power cable to the gas insulated switchgear housing. This presentation will show todays common groups of alternating gases and investigate the difference between SF6 and those gases especially in respect to their consequences to the related high voltage cable accessories.
    • 4:30 – 5:00 PM: “Qualification of 15 kV transition joint per IEEE 404 – technical considerations and experiences”, Dennis Bergsma (Lovink Enertech, Netherlands)
      • Transition joints from OF to solid dielectric cables are increasingly used in the distribution networks. This contribution presents one experience of qualifying 15 kV transition joint per the requirements of IEEE 404 standard, including comparison to applicable IEC and European standards. Special areas of interest considered thermal performance at high temperatures, selection and performance of the connectors used in the test program, and mechanical stresses and related issues with the sealing system. Some recommendations for possible modifications of the test program will be discussed in the conclusion.
    • 5:00 – 5:15 PM: Chairman’s closing remarks and Adjourn
  • Subcommittee C – Cable Systems, Monday May 1, 2023, 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM,
    • 9:15 – 9:30 AM  Chairman’s Opening Remarks and Announcements
    • 9:30 – 10:00 AM “339 miles of 400kV DC Cable – Construction Begins – Canada to NY” by Forest Rong, and Shane Miller of Kiewit. 
      • Construction for the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) project is set to commence APRIL 2023, marking a significant milestone for the highest operation voltage and longest submarine and underground cable project in North America. The project has been in the development for over a decade and will deliver 1,250 MW of renewable hydro power from Canada to New York over a 339 miles single submarine and underground cable circuit. The project is expected to be fully operational by spring 2026 and will save New York homes and businesses a total of 17.3 billion dollars over its 30-year lifespan. This presentation will discuss the logistics involved in constructing the terrestrial segment of the CHPE project, which spans a distance of 146 miles. The route runs through multiple RR-ROWs and DOT areas, passing through 39 different towns, villages, and cities, and involving over 95 facility owners. The presentation will cover the challenges posed by the arrival of 558 cable reels, the need to finalize 279 joint locations, the balancing of cable lengths and pulling calculations, a total of 324 Horizontal Directional Drills at 162 locations for a total of 20 miles in length, and continuous investigation on the soil TR, all while construction is starting. A comprehensive overview will be presented to cover the intricacies involved in bringing the CHPE project to fruition and the measures required to ensure its success.
    • 10:00 – 10:30 AM “Decommissioning of SCFF/LPOF Cables using Bioremediation” by Jake Gelhard, Project Engineer, EHV Power, and Guillaume Boisard, Environmental Engineer, Tibio. 
      • There tend to be very limited options when decommissioning old SCFF/LPOF cable circuits. The primary methods used by utilities in North America are removal and cap and drain. Removal of the circuits is usually expensive and can be very difficult or impossible depending on the location. Cap and drain is quick and inexpensive, but, over 50% of the oil remains within the cable which poses a significant environmental risk. There is another option available to utilities which is to decommission the cables using bioremediation. The ODB System® is designed to “clean” cables from the inside, using an innovative biotechnological approach. The bio solution is injected into the oil channels at low pressure which then permeates into the paper matrix. After the solution has been flushed through the cable, over 98% of the oil within the cable is removed. The remaining <2% of the cable oil is bound within the paper matrix and cannot be separated, ensuring the system poses no further environmental risk.
    • 10:30 -10:45 AM  BREAK
    • 10:45 – 11:15 AM  “Southern California Edison’s Integrated Wildfire Mitigation Strategy”, by Hunly Chy of SCE. 
      • The consequences of wildfire have profoundly impacted and continue to be a top safety risk for California. One of SCE’s efforts to mitigate the risk of wildfires associated with SCE equipment are through the deployment of covered conductor and targeted undergrounding.  SCE will discuss the Integrated Wildfire Mitigation Strategy (IWMS) and how it informs deployment of covered conductor or undergrounding.
    • 11:15 -11:45 AM   “SuedLink – The world’s longest 525 kV HVDC land cable system” by Mark Stemmle, NKT, Tanumay Karmokar, TenneT, and Martin Splettstößer, TransnetBW. 
      • In the frame of the German “Energiewende” (energy transition) there is an increase in integration of offshore wind energy from the north, while nuclear power plants are being decommissioned in the south. As the existing 380 kV AC transmission grid is not able to handle the resulting power transfer requirements, new HVDC transmission corridors have been identified to reinforce the transmission system. The SuedLink project is one of the first three HVDC transmission corridor projects in Germany, besides A-Nord and SuedOstLink, which are currently being implemented with underground cable systems. SuedLink consists of two 525 kV HVDC circuits mainly in the same transmission corridor from north to south. The longer circuit with about 690 km connects the converter stations in Brunsbuettel and Grossgartach, while the shorter circuit with about 540 km connects the converter stations in Wilster and Bergrheinfeld. This presentation will focus on the longer circuit of the SuedLink project, which will become the world’s longest 525 kV HVDC land cable system upon completion. Different phases of the project including system design, qualification testing, route and logistics planning, installation considerations, special crossing constructions and commissioning tests will be presented.
    • 11:45 – 12:15 AM “Root Cause Analysis of Partial Discharge Source during High Voltage Cable Commissioning” by Roberto Martinez of Doble.
      • This technical paper presents a case study of a problem encountered during the commissioning of a high-voltage cable. The cable GIS termination failed prematurely after a few years in service, and PD tests were not performed originally, only AC hipot was completed. After repairs, due to the premature failure of the termination, it was decided to perform AC hipot and PD testing during the commissioning. The cable passed the AC hipot test but failed the partial discharge (PD) tests during commissioning.  Different technologies were used to assess the PD signals and determine the origin. The PD results were used to investigate the root cause and correct the issue at one of the terminations. The subsequent PD measurements confirmed that the repairs were successful. The cable under study was a 115 kV cable, and its design and specifications are presented in detail. The case study presented in this paper highlights the importance of PD testing in high-voltage cables to ensure reliable and safe operation.
  • Subcommittee D – Generating Station and Industrial Cables, Tuesday, May 3, 2023, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    • 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Opening remarks, Announcements, Standards Review
    • 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Electrical Test Protocol for Improved Field Assessment of LV Cables in Nuclear Plants , by David Rouison | Technical Director Ph.D. P.Eng., Kinectrics Inc. – Forensics & Component Services.
      • Following the successful completion of its research aimed at investigating the use of Low Frequency Dielectric Spectroscopy (LFDS) and Polarization/Depolarization Current (PDC) testing to assess the condition of thermally aged Low Voltage Cables in Nuclear Plants EPRI initiated a second phase of this work. This recently completed research program investigated the application of these test techniques with the intent of developing a test protocol and an assessment framework that could be applied directly to field-installed cables. Additional cable insulations and designs were subjected to laboratory-accelerated thermal aging. While the focus of this study was again thermal aging, a sub-set of un-aged and thermally-aged samples were subjected to accelerated water exposure to discriminate between the effects of moisture and thermal aging related influences. The results of this research further demonstrated the applicability of LFDS and PDC techniques to evaluate LV cables, and showed that the changes in dielectric responses in the time and frequency domain caused by thermal aging were generally not adequately captured by ‘traditional’ electrical metrics such as DC Insulation Resistance or VLF (0.1Hz) Tangent Delta. Consequently, improved diagnostic metrics / indicators were proposed to assist in interpreting the LFDS and PDC data and were found to correlate well with typical material test results. The test methods were also able to identify and discriminate wet exposure effects. The outcome of this laboratory led research formed the basis for a test protocol and data evaluation methodology which was piloted at Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant. This pilot program was conducted over 6 campaigns between 2018 and 2022 and a total of 70 cables have been tested to date. These cables were of varying constructions but were primarily XLPE insulated. The test population was strategically selected to evaluate cables exposed to known environmental stressors as well as cables in benign environments to evaluate a wide range of cable environments. The advanced diagnostic metrics derived from the LFDS and PDC data were used along with the results of TDR and FDR testing to provide an overall assessment of cable insulation condition. Based on these results the cables were ranked in broad categories of “No Action Needed” (little to no observed degradation), “Investigate/Trend” (some level of degradation), and “Action Recommended” (high level of degradation). This presentation provides an overview of the recently concluded laboratory research and the findings from the field testing which together demonstrated the validity of the proposed test methodology to evaluate field-installed LV cable insulation degradation in nuclear power plants.”
    • 10:00 AM –10:15 AM – Break
    • 10:15 AM – 10:45 AM – “Cables for Class I, Division 1 (Hazardous) Locations: Past, Present & Future”; Phil Laudicina, Engineering Manager, Marmon Industrial Energy & Infrastructure.
      • This presentation will describe the wiring methods permitted by the National Electrical Code for Class I, Division 1 and Zone 1 Hazardous locations prior to and the eventual inclusion of Types MC-HL, ITC-HL and TC-ER-HL. The main focus will be the addition TC-ER-HL to the NEC in 2014 and the subsequent changes surrounding its restrictions up to the new 2023 NEC.
    • 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM – Break
    • 11:00 Am – 11:30 AM – General discussion
  • Subcommittee F – Field Testing and Diagnostics – Wednesday, May 4, 2023, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    • 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM Chairman’s Opening Remarks and Announcements
    • 8:15 AM – 8:50 AM “Field-testing of long lengths power cables using damped AC voltages”, Ed Gulski, Rogier Jongen, onsite hv solutions ag, Switzerland, Jaroslaw Parciak, onsite hv solutions Central Europe, Poland
      • Many new HVAC power cable installations on wind farms, both on- and off- shore, have long lengths. To support the quality assurance of newly installed cable systems as well as to create a sound basis for condition-based maintenance, this contribution discusses the technical challenges of field testing of long length power cable systems using a damped AC testing method and also discusses the best practical applications for testing and diagnosis of these wind-farm HVAC cable systems.
    • 8:50 AM – 9:25 AM “Laboratory Study of the Impact of Repeated VLF Withstand Test and Subsequent AC Operation on Service-Aged Cables Nigel Hampton, UL Solutions, Josh Perkel, EPRI, Caryn Riley and Jean Carlos Hernandez-Mejia, Georgia Tech NEETRAC, and Jorge Altamirano, CME
      • VLF sources have proven effective for both withstand tests and diagnostic tests (partial discharge, dielectric loss) used to manage cable assets. Field studies confirm that overall VLF tests to the levels set out in IEEE 400.2 deliver practical improvements in reliability (fewer failures and longer times between failures) without initiating long-term problems. However, the field-based studies are not well-suited to investigating the impact of repeated testing, re-energization at power frequency and test parameters (voltage and time) outside the framework of IEEE 400.2. This study uniquely employed multiple long lengths (>70 m) of XLPE cables removed after more than 25 years of service to estimate the impact of a variety of VLF test parameters (1.8, 2.1 and 3.6 U0, and 15, 60 and 120 minutes), plus multiple applications of VLF Simple Withstand testing.
    • 9:25 AM – 10:00 AM “Applying Machine Learning for characterizing Partial Discharge in Underground Power Cable Systems for Predictive Maintenance – Part II”,” Ben Lanz, IMCORP, and Steffen Ziegler, Eversource Energy
      • Waveforms of partial discharge (PD) time domain signals are being characterized, utilizing a unique dataset of measurements describing conditions of underground power cable systems. Deep learning models initially presented on at ICC Spring ’22 have been further developed and evaluated for the purposes of providing a foundation for PD detection automatization and predictive maintenance.  The deep learning models presented outperformed predictions with traditional methods. In addition to classifying PD signals, the models identified source locations of the defects within a cable system through recurrent neural networks. Additional assessments included advanced data augmentation strategies and interpretability. This update will provide updates on the deep learning advancements, augmenting data sources which further translate severity into time.  The approach furthers the paradigm shift from Risk-Ranking of PD defects to Remaining Useful Life of cable assets will be discussed.
    • 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM Break
    • 10:15 AM – 10:50 AM “XXX,” by Mark Fenger, Kinectrics.
    • 10:50 AM – 11:25 AM AM “Reaction of a 525kV Submarine cable to a “heat dome on Vancouver Island” Sudhakar Cherukupalli, BC Hydro
      • This presentation will discuss the result of a “heat dome” during July 2021 on Vancouver Island and the impact this had on a 40-year-old submarine cable. It will discuss the issue, its impact, and discuss the repairs that were done and subsequent studies that were undertaken and present some of the findings from this work.
    • 11:25 AM – 11:40 PM Closing Remarks
  • Subcommittee G – Transnational Luncheon Registration Required, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 12:15 PM – 2:00 PM
    • 1. Suncable connection between Australia and Singapore – some ampacity issues by Dr George Anders Consulting, Canada .
      • Abstract: Sun Cable’s $22 billion Australia-ASEAN Power Link project includes a 10 gigawatt solar farm and battery on a remote pastoral station, about 70 kilometers south-west of Elliott. A transmission line in the Barkly region would connect the system to Darwin and a 3,750 kilometer undersea cable would then run from Darwin Harbour to Singapore. Large portion of the 525 kV HVDC submarine cable will be floating in water since the depth of the ocean floor is too great to bury the cables.  While the calculation of the ampacities of the buried portion of the route is following well-established procedures, the evaluation of the cable rating floating in water is not well research subject.  This presentation will explain the calculation procedure that was followed for the floating power cable and will also address an issue of a partially buried cable in the silt at the sea bottom. The results of the calculations will be compared with the ampacities of the buried portion of the route.
    • 2. VLF Testing experiences on long cable systems in Western Europe by Daniel Götz, Robert Probst, Megger, Germany
      • Abstract: This contribution shows practical case studies of after-laying testing of very long MV power and heating cables. Due to renewable infrastructure there is a trend to longer lengths of MV cables, as in Europe the VLF testing frequency is standardized at 0.1Hz this can create problems with the amount of available energy. Two case studies show how these cables can be tested with VLF voltage, and what hurdles one can have. 
    • 3. Case study of the 220kV export land cable laying, on the example of the offshore wind farm Moray East project as successfully executed on the shores of Scotland by Leszek Resner, Tele-Fonika Kable, Poland
      • Abstract: The Moray East Offshore Wind Farm consists of 100 offshore wind turbines split over three circuits. The onshore part of the export cable route runs for 34 km from the landfall at Banff to the onshore substation at New Deer. Each circuit consists of three 220 kV single core cables installed in unfilled ducts. Each circuit consists of three single core cables separately ducted in a trefoil arrangement. There are 30 sections of cable connected through 29 intermediate joint bays. Tele-Fonika Kable Group has produced and deliver more than 300km of 220kV cables with construction A2XSA(FL)2Y-GC-WTC, 8km of 66kV cables and 11km of single core bonding lead cables. Cables production has started at the beginning of 2019 and the last deliveries had place in first quarter of 2020. Cable construction, including aluminum screen wires in combination with demanding Scottish landscape and COVID lockdown restrictions, made this project special and challenging in a few aspects. In April 2022 the Moray East wind farm offshore Scotland has, achieved its full contracted output of 900 MW to the UK National Transmission Grid, makes project successful.
    • 4. Overview of the of the SudOstLink and SuedLink 525kV projects in Germany by Rob Sellick, NKT, USA
      • Abstract: This presentation presents a high-level overview of the 2GW, ±525kV Suedlink and SuedOstLink projects in Germany.  These underground HVDC transmission projects connect northern and southern Germany, forming an important part of the German energy transition away from nuclear energy to wind generation.
    • 5. Experience with large Aluminum conductors in 420kV accessories in the Netherlands by Henk Geene, Prysmian Group, The Netherlands
      • Abstract: In the Netherlands the use of HV cables with Aluminum conductors is common practice for 30 years now. Most of these cables are equipped with solid Aluminum conductors up to 1200sqmm. Due the increase of transport capacity,  the conductor sizes  have gone up to 3500sqmm. Connecting such large Al conductors is a challenge and can only be achieved with special techniques. The presentation will focus on the connection of these large Al conductors in the accessories
    • 6. Technical readiness of Submarine power cables for offshore in Asia by Jason Byun (Yuseok Byun), Eric Jang (Insuk Jang), LS Cable & System Ltd. Republic of Korea
      • Abstract: As the Asian market for offshore wind farms is getting larger and further, it is required that less loss export cable system, which lead to development of DC 525 kV cable system. Following the trend as mentioned, LS Cable & System (hereafter LSC) has been completed DC 525kV Pre-qualification Test in accordance with TB 496 in order to support building green energy industry. LSC has conducted Pre-qualification test for submarine cable system and land cable system each. Conductor type, loop configuration and test method etc. will be presented in the conference.
    • 7. Combined & Integrated Asset Monitoring Solution for Floating Offshore Wind by Landry Molimbi (EOSS, Prysmian Group), Victor Six (EOSS, Prysmian Group), Italy
      • Abstract: EOSS (Electronical & Optical Sensing Solutions) delivers and installs a combined & integrated monitoring solution for inter-array cables (IAC) at a floating offshore wind farm in the EMEA region. The state-of-the-art PRY-CAM monitoring solution consists of Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) with integrated Real Time Thermal Rating (RTTR) calculation, Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and Partial Discharge (PD) monitoring. Monitoring all key parameters of the IAC on this wind park will allow to prevent cable failures. Temperature and acoustic/vibration data is measured by the mean of external fiber optic allowing for continuous and fully distributed monitoring from the substation to the very last turbine. PD sensors have been deployed at the turbines to prevent failures of the electrical system as well as to give time to the operator to organize spare parts and repair teams without emergency.
    • 8. Less failures, shorter outage duration, higher reliability by cable monitoring at a Dutch utility by John Landry; Paul P Leufkens, DNV Energy USA Inc
      • Abstract A Dutch utility has been installing a 24/7 monitoring system on (the weakest or most critical) 20% of their distribution cable network. Partial Discharge is detected and used to warn for upcoming faults. Reliability (SAIFI and SAIDI) has gone up and asset management can be truly condition based.
    • 9. Upcoming international meetings 2023by Paul Leufkens 
  • Networking Luncheon – Registration Required, Monday May 1, 2023, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
    • Rob Sellick Perspectives on the US HVDC cable market, contrasted with the European market
    • Søren Krüger Olsen Status on some offshore wind farm projects on the US east coast
    • Jake Gelhard Installation of HPFF-XLPE Transition Joints
    • Jean Carlos (JC) Hernandez-Mejia Power Cable Quality Assessment Program in the USA
  • Educational Program – “Submarine Power Cables – Design, Installation, and Repair”, Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 1:00 – 5:00 PM. The presentation will include design, permitting, installation, protection and repair of AC and DC submarine cables.0.4 CEUs will be offered for this session.  You must register to receive CEUs
  • Training Session